Pink and Red
by charredfeathers
Summary: Itachi has gone blind. Though, he is grateful that he has a chance to turn over a new leaf, and even more grateful that he has found a caring friend. Will a certain Haruno Sakura be able to let him see the world through different eyes? ItaSaku AU
1. Thank You

**Pink and Red**

….

**Summary: **Itachi has gone blind. Though, he is grateful that he has a chance to turn over a new leaf. And even more grateful that he has found a caring friend. Will a certain Haruno Sakura be able to let him see the world through different eyes? ItaSaku.

**Author-person: **My first Naruto fan fiction. I've just turned into a fan of this pairing recently, and I'm glad that I decided to write a story for them.

This was originally meant to be a one-shot, but it turned into a multi-chap. Damn my craving for ItaSaku… -grumbles-

-sniff- But my inner fan girl is devastated, though… with Itachi's death and all.

This is somewhat AU, I think… and there's OOC-ness.

Hope you guys like it!

**Disclaimer: **I own Naruto. Pfft. And the Teletubbies will soon take over the world… -looks outside the window- Hey, Is that a rocket launcher on Po's shoulder?

….

**Chapter One: **Thank You

….

"Uchiha-san?"

Uchiha Itachi opened his eyes slowly upon hearing a soft voice call out his name, or rather, his family name.

The smell of medication quickly invaded his nostrils as he gained his senses… _a hospital?_ He blinked a few times, trying to adjust his faulty vision, but to no avail. It was terribly blurred, and he could make out nothing… save for an odd shade of pink and red at the other end of the room. A dreaded feeling began to sink down deep inside his stomach, making him want to puke his guts out.

He was blind.

Itachi exhaled sharply, resulting to a stabbing pain at his side.

_Ah. I guess I broke a rib then… _He winced as he tried to sit up.

Propping his elbow to one side, he hoisted himself from the mattress, away from the comforts of his cushiony pillow. When he finally found himself in a comfortable position, he raised his head to face the owner of the female voice.

"I can't see…" He croaked irritably.

Itachi's hand shot up to his throat as he heard his unusually hoarse voice.

_Bandages?_

Images began flashing in his head. A pair of Sharingan eyes, a bloody pulp on the forest terrain, the Kyuubi in its complete form, three figures staring down on him before he lost consciousness… Sasuke grinning at him, stooping down and poking his older brother's forehead.

"_Welcome back."_

He smiled to himself upon remembering the younger Uchiha's words.

….

Haruno Sakura furrowed her pink brows and looked at the man as he sat up on his hospital bed. Clearly, he was confused about his whereabouts. Either that, or he was panicking because he had lost his vision.

She watched him warily and swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. She was not so sure about this person. He had done some unspeakable crimes in the past… But it was her Shishou that had asked her, scratch that, ordered her to take care of the injured ex-missing-nin until he fully recovers from the injuries he had sustained during the skirmish against Uchiha Madara.

The medic had no choice, then. She had to comply…

…or face the wrath of a menopausal Godaime.

_Ah, free will… it must be nice…_

Sakura sighed inwardly.

Then, she saw Itachi smile, much to the pink-haired medic's surprise, but he quickly reverted to his stoic appearance when he turned his head to her direction.

"Uchiha-san, please lie down." She said, frowning when her voice came out squeaky.

Said Uchiha tilted his head ever so slightly. "I'm in Konoha, am I not?" He said in a rather polite tone.

Sakura blinked. "Yes."

"Then you know of my situation, correct?"

"Yes."

Of course she knew of the situation. Who wouldn't? The whole village practically had a heart attack when they heard the news from Tsunade a few days ago.

Uchiha Itachi massacred his whole clan for the safety of Konoha…

The kunoichi couldn't believe it at first (more like, refused to), at least until the words came out of Sasuke's mouth. Her teammate was a little hesitant to share his knowledge about the matter… but after much prodding and/or poking from a persistent dobe, Sasuke finally gave in and told the whole truth.

"I see," Itachi sighed wearily.

Given the fact that he had not been locked in a holding cell and that he was even permitted to live despite his previous felonies, he concluded that the Godaime must've granted him pardon for his actions. Thank Kami for that. Not that he wasn't ready for punishment or for a possible execution. But it was because he was given a chance to lead a second life. Albeit a much better one than the former.

"Medic-san, if you came nearer, maybe I can refrain from straining my voice." He said, plucking on his white shirt almost absent-mindedly. "Please understand that my throat is causing me pain."

Sakura stiffened. "Gomen."

The Uchiha nodded and felt for his forehead. "My hitai-te?'

"Hokage-sama has taken it. She says that it's to be replaced."

"Ah."

Itachi sensed the obvious nervousness in the girl's voice. Of course that wasn't at all surprising. He'd encountered quite a lot of men who have reacted worse than she did at the mere sight of the Sharingan-user.

An amusing memory of a shinobi from Oto came to mind.

They were battling on water when the nin did something rather… disgusting in front of them.

_Kisame-san refused using any water jutsu while in that lake._

Itachi grinned inwardly.

There was a ringing silence in the room, and Sakura did not like it one bit. Then again, she was used to the quiet. Being around Sasuke did that much to increase the medic's tolerance for it. She had to admit though, she had anticipated Itachi to be less talkative than his little brother. But he had been able to engage in a conversation with her, however awkward it may have been. Perhaps he was only being polite? If so, Sakura had to resist the urge to blush scarlet for his being courteous with her.

The Uchiha tilted his head. "You do not trust me, do you?"

"No." Came an immediate response. Sakura clamped a hand over her mouth and mentally punched herself.

She expected a crude remark or maybe him reducing her to a pile of ashes…

…but Itachi only chuckled.

Uchihas don't _chuckle_. They either grunt, scoff or respond by using the infamous 'hn'. Heck, Tom and Jerry gave out more sounds than the Uchiha. Had Itachi's sanity disappeared along with his vision? Or did Sakura inject too much medication earlier? The latter was entirely possible. But Shizune was there to oversee the healing process as well, and with the dark-haired medic's trained eye, she could've easily spotted any errors made… So there must be another reason.

It was then that Sakura concluded, the world was going to end pretty soon.

_Kami, I don't want to die single._

"I don't blame you if you're hesitant to trust me," Itachi said suddenly as he laced his fingers over his lap. "I've done some cruel things in the past."

He bowed his head slightly, guilt evident in his dark, sightless eyes.

Sakura suddenly felt guilt weigh in her heart too. Why oh why couldn't she keep her big mouth shut?

"Yes, but you only did those things to protect Konoha and your brother, right? The whole village have forgiven you… and so has Sasuke-kun." The female said gently, daring to put a compassionate hand on the man's shoulder.

Itachi's eyes widened at the gesture.

"True. But that doesn't change the fact that I've stained my hands with the blood of my Clan. And being forgiven doesn't necessarily mean that I've regained the full trust of those around me."

"Take you, for example, " He gestured to the pink and red blur. "You have openly admitted that you don't trust me… and yet, you've forgiven me, have you not?'

Sakura bit her lip and gave some thought into it. "Yes."

Itachi leaned against the pillows and heaved another sigh. "I hope you understand now, medic-san."

She gazed at him with her emerald eyes as she let the words sink in. "Sasuke-kun," She muttered, letting her hand fall to her side.

The former missing-nin raised his brow.

"He was the same as you. He betrayed Konoha as well… and when he returned, the people didn't trust him much either," She held her clipboard to her chest, as she gazed sadly at the older Uchiha. "But they've begun to believe in him again over time. What makes you think they can't do the same to you?"

Her voice was soft and shy, but Itachi felt a moving power behind it. It never occurred to him that someone he didn't know personally would make a move to actually show kindness to him. Or was it just pity? Fear? Itachi didn't know. Perhaps the Hokage had ordered her to make him feel… at home. Why else would a pink headed stranger act so nice to him, knowing full well that he had the heart to kill his own flesh and blood?

Sakura watched the man. He seemed befuddled and hesitant to believe her words. Maybe it was that missing-nin instinct to not trust anyone…

"The citizens of Konoha don't bear deep grudges, Uchiha-san. Well, most of them, anyway." Sakura chuckled and gave him a smile… not that he could see it.

Itachi nodded slowly.

"Medic-san, where is my brother?" He inquired, squinting his eyes in the hopes of trying to recognize the female.

Sakura blinked. "He's at Hokage Tower at the moment. Submitting reports…"

"Ah." He resumed his task of fiddling with the blankets.

The pink-haired shinobi continued to look at him. Her curious emerald eyes focused on his weary expression and the subtle heaving of his chest. Sakura felt oddly comfortable around him now. She actually yearned to hear his quiet voice and to see him smile again. It was rare to see an Uchiha smile like Itachi did earlier. Almost as rare as Naruto agreeing to enter a library, or Sai attempting to do a kind gesture without unintentionally insulting someone.

And it was strange, really. She had been utterly terrified of this man before… and now, she felt quite fascinated with him.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to actually… befriend him?

"Uchiha-san?"

He blinked. "Yes?"

"I'd prefer it if you called me by my name. It's Haruno Sakura." She said smiling.

_Haruno Sakura._

Itachi blinked again. "You are one of Sasuke's teammates, am I right?"

_He remembered? _"Yes, I am." She chuckled.

"If I recall correctly, you have a very… capacious forehead." He said innocently with absolutely no attempt of openly insulting her.

Sakura's eyes widened and a vein throbbed at the side of her head.

_Shannaro! _

"Uchiha-SAN. Do you find anything wrong with… 'capacious' foreheads?" The kunoichi said through clenched teeth.

Itachi sensed the malevolent aura emanating from the girl. His shoulders tensed slightly as he felt her chakra slowly building up. Had he offended her in some way? Her forehead being strangely big was a fact, and there wasn't anything wrong about saying something about it, right? His blind eyes started darting to the possible exits. The windows were to his right, judging from the light. But jumping out of a window would prove to be difficult considering his injuries. The door? He would have a hard time trying to get up from his bed since Sakura was near, not to mention finding the knob.

Perhaps he shouldn't have let her come closer after all.

"No. I don't see anything wrong with your forehead, Haruno-san. It is said that people who are gifted with such a trait are highly intellectual." He said truthfully.

"I am complimenting you, if you haven't noticed."

_Oh._

"I-I see." Sakura flushed. A compliment? From _the _Uchiha Itachi? She was honored!

"Thank you."

Itachi suddenly released the breath that he hadn't realized he was holding.

The pink and red blur suddenly moved and walked towards the other side of the room. Probably towards the door. Sure enough, Itachi heard the doorknob being turned and the sounds from outside his room came rushing in. Busy murmurs, clacking shoes and boisterous laughter filled his ears for a brief moment.

And suddenly… suddenly… Itachi felt how good it was to be finally home...

Until he heard a woman scream and some doctors yelling, "It's coming out! Hurry, goddamnit!"

His eye twitched.

Sakura looked over her shoulder. "Uchiha-san, I'll come by later to check up on you. In the mean time, please get some rest." And she turned to leave. quite happy that she seemed to be in good terms with her patient.

"Haruno-san,"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Sakura's eyes widened for a brief moment, and then she smiled.

"You're welcome."

….

**Author-person: **How was it? -ducks to dodge a volley of shuriken and kunai-

Please review!


	2. Getting Acquainted

**Chapter Two: **Getting Acquainted

….

**Author-person: **Yes, disconnected15 has updated. Joy.

What to warn you about? Major OOC-ness. Especially on Sasuke's part. No, he won't be talkative or overly friendly to the point that he's willing to sing the infamous, _'Tinky-winky, Dipsy, Lala, Po…'_ chant. So you don't have to worry that much. Hopefully.

I have nothing against the Teletubbies, if you people are wondering…

**To Vanity-chan **_(schoolmate and friend )_**:** Yeah, I'm aware of that, and I originally intended for Konoha to actually shun them or something. But after some thinking, I realized that the Uchiha brothers have been through some pretty awful shit... so I thought that maybe I'd give them something to be happy about.

….

"Fuck off, Dobe!"

"Shut the hell up, Teme!"

"And to your left, Uchiha-san, is a pair of immature idiots who are, apparently, flinging Kamaboko at each other." Sakura said in a disturbingly cheery voice as she guided Itachi through the busy streets of Konoha.

Naruto, who had been losing badly in his and Sasuke's little fish cake war, stood up from his wooden stool almost immediately and beamed.

"Sakura-chan and er… uh…"

"Aniki," Sasuke said cooly as he removed bits of food that were stuck in his hair.

Itachi blinked, then bowed slightly upon being addressed. He'd been sure that he heard his little brother's voice when they neared Ichiraku Ramen, but he never really expected Sasuke to be throwing fish meat, among other things, at his loud-mouthed companion. The stoic ninja silently wished that he could've seen that amusing sight, but he guessed that missing out on things like food fights were part of being blind…

Itachi sighed inwardly and continued to have the usual unreadable expression plastered on his handsome face.

"What do you two think you're doing?" Sakura asked putting her free hand on her hip as she pulled Itachi closer to her two friends. "And honestly, food fights? What are you? Twelve?"

The older Uchiha blinked again as he felt a gentle tug on his hand. He had NEVER been pulled along before, let alone held hands with a girl. But he couldn't bring himself to snatch his hand away from Sakura who had done nothing but show kindness to him ever since his arrival in the Hidden Village.

Yes, Itachi had been a criminal, but he'd be damned if he was ever short on manners.

The kunoichi had been nice enough to offer him a little tour. Because according to her, it was necessary that he step out of the confines of his stuffy little hospital room to help familiarize himself with the village. The nin realized (after much convincing) that his pink-haired companion had proven a point. With him being sightless, it would be better to let him memorize the map of Konoha in his mind rather than have him relying on everyone else to guide him around. And besides, after a week of doing nothing besides trying to 'skim' through copies of Icha Icha Paradise with raised print that a certain Hatake Kakashi had so graciously let him, Itachi knew he was bound to go crazy in that little white room sooner or later.

Did the thought of Itachi never really learning Braille ever occur to the silver-haired jounin?

"I've decided. I'm calling you Itachi." Naruto said crossing his arms over his chest, and completely ignoring his female friend's question.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Naruto, You're being rude! Use an honorific for Kami's sake!" Sakura yelled, unaware that she had pulled on Itachi's hand a tad too sharply.

"But Sakura-chaaaan," The blonde whined. "If he's gonna be with us for a while, we'll get along at some point and we'll get to drop the honorifics eventually."

The pink-haired medic slapped a palm on her forehead and sighed. She looked over her shoulder, and failed to see the slight twitching of Itachi's eye.

Sakura bowed apologetically at her patient. "Uchiha-san, please excuse Naruto for his rudeness."

Itachi stared at the yellow and orange blur that was in front of him, then at the pink and red that was holding his hand. "It is quite alright, Haruno-san." He said quietly.

He had been saying that an awful lot lately.

If you count the number of times Sakura had snapped at people for throwing cautious looks and purposely avoiding even the slightest contact with her silent companion, you'd probably have counted the number of times Jiraiya had gotten pummeled by Tsunade (and countless other women) for being the perverted hermit that he was.

Itachi, on the other hand, actually didn't mind the awkward looks that the villagers had been giving him. It was perfectly normal, and he was used to the feeling of being feared. Though, he couldn't see them do it, he wasn't dense to not feel their wary gazes and typical avoidance of him. But it did help a bit that a number of the village folk had been particularly nice to him and that some of the elders were actually bold enough to approach him to express their thanks for saving Konoha.

Hopefully, the others would also learn to trust him soon.

He wasn't entirely grateful though, for the squealing fan girls that approached him earlier. Itachi gave Sakura a pleading look as one girl nearly tackled him to the ground. But the pink-haired kunoichi merely giggled and told him that he should get used to a bevy of love-sick girls trailing after him. In response, Itachi frowned at her and continued to sidestep as another batch of females tried to glomp him.

_Perhaps I should buy new locks for the house…_

His train of thought was interrupted as he heard an exasperated sigh from the black figure beside the Jinchuuriki.

"Aniki, you're alright,"

Surprisingly the younger Uchiha's tone was not dripping with hatred in which all of his shinobi companions were quite used to. In fact, it sounded oddly ambiguous. What he had stated was probably a question, but Itachi failed to hear the inquiring tone in his younger brother's voice. It gladdened the elder Uchiha somewhat that Sasuke had expressed even the littlest bit of concern for him and had not attempted to bring up any conversations about the Clan even when he visited Itachi 'secretly' a few times.

Seriously, Itachi was blind… not deprived of his chakra sensing abilities. Though, it did surprise him when Sasuke accidentally banged the hospital window open, supposedly thinking that it was locked. After letting out a faint 'eep' sound, his little brother's chakra had disappeared before Itachi even managed to turn his head to the direction of the window.

_Hasn't visited since. _The elder Uchiha thought after recalling the fond memory.

Itachi nodded once and fingered the collar of his grey hakama.

"Good."

"Ah."

Perhaps this was Sasuke's way of showing that he had forgiven him?

Sakura beamed at the exchange of words between the two brothers. She'd never seen them interact like such normal people before, and she was happy that they'd somehow seemed to have gotten on good terms with each other.

"So, Itachi… want some ramen!?" An orange-clad ninja semi-yelled at the startled Uchiha.

Naruto, however, was a different story.

"SHANNARO!"

….

"Another bowl, please." Itachi said quietly after finishing his first serving of ramen.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, finding Itachi's appetite a lot bigger than he remembered. He shrugged and lifted his brother's bowl from the counter, holding it up for the ramen server to see. "Put in extra Kamaboko."

Itachi thanked his Otouto silently and turned his head slowly to the right. Beside him, sat a twitching blonde blur that was sporting a very large bump. The Uchiha took a mental note to not annoy Sakura unless he wanted a throbbing bulge adorning his head.

He drummed his long fingers on the counter and odd enough, missed the warmth of Sakura's hand encircling his.

Itachi blinked at the thought.

"Ne, Itachi…" Naruto said, shifting blue eyes nervously as he searched for any sign of the pink-headed girl.

Thankfully, the Evil Second Tsunade had been called off to the hospital a few seconds before she managed to land a chakra-infused fist on Naruto's face… She would probably be back in an hour or so… much to the blonde's chagrin.

"Yes?"

Naruto puffed his chest, forgetting his female friend's numerous threats. "I want to spar with you." He said, grinning widely.

"Dobe, he hasn't healed completely yet." Sasuke took Itachi's extra fish meat and flicked it with his finger, hitting Naruto squarely on the nose.

"I know that, Teme! I meant that we should spar _after_ he gets better!"

"Hn."

Itachi blinked for what seemed like the umpteenth time for that day, before nodding silently at the ecstatic ninja, who upon the dark-haired man's affirmation, whooped and punched his fist in the air. The Uchiha then, turned his attention to the steaming bowl of noodles before him and scowled slightly when he realized that it was one Kamaboko short.

"Ne ne, Itachi," Naruto began again, the legs of his stool scraped noisily on the ground as he moved closer to the dark-haired male. "How come I recovered faster than you? I got out of the hospital after three days, and I'm already set to go."

At that, Sasuke just HAD to slap his hand on his forehead. "It's because of the demon chakra, you idiot. Or did that little detail fail to get registered in your pathetically small brain?"

The Jinchuuriki narrowed his eyes at the younger Uchiha. "I know that! I mean, with your brother being really strong, you'd think he'd heal as fast as me."

Itachi listened to the conversation as he ate his noodles, while remembering one of the last images he'd seen before losing consciousness. "The Nine-Tails… you allowed him to take over."

Naruto stiffened. "Well… yeah… but everything's okay, right? See?' He lifted his orange shirt to reveal a new seal that the Godaime had placed on him to restrain the Kyuubi's demonic chakra.

Itachi tilted his head, while Sasuke waved a hand at his brother's face.

"Idiot, he's… blind, remember?" Sasuke said, a little hesitant to say the 'B' word.

"Oh, yeah…"

"Dobe."

"Shut up, Sasuke-teme!"

"Not my fault you're an idiot!"

"Not my, fault you're so damn smart!"

"…"

"…"

"You're stupid."

"Shut up!!"

Itachi calmly ducked after hearing Naruto's resounding battle cry, appearing to be not at all perturbed by the two boys who were throwing ramen bowls at each other. Next came the irritated grunts and colorful range of profanity they used upon being hit by steaming hot noodles. A few minutes later, Itachi had to lift his feet a little off the ground because of the two shinobi that were rolling and beating each other up from under the counter.

Silence.

"What the hell?! You're biting my hand!"

Itachi's eyebrow twitched.

….

Hatake Kakashi read the volume of Icha Icha idly, one hand was shoved in his pocket and the other flipped the pages of his orange book.

"How was he?" The Godaime asked, hands clasped under her chin.

The jounin looked up from his reading material. "Ah, Itachi? Surprisingly… pleasant."

Kakashi recalled how the ex-missing-nin had made an expression of what seemed like incredulity after receiving two copies of the smut book from him. The avid Icha Icha-reader grinned under his mask.

Tsunade's amber eye twitched. "Pleasant? Did he say anything to you? I had Ibiki interrogate him, and so far, he's done nothing but avoid questions concerning the Akatsuki."

The man sighed. "Yes, he's been _pleasant_," He stressed at the word, "Itachi's been nothing but terribly polite to everyone who's seen him, and I daresay that he's gotten quite a lot of attention from your nurses." The jounin chuckled.

"Perhaps it isn't wise to pry the answers from him, Tsunade-sama, at least not now that he's still adjusting. It's quite unnecessary if you ask me… We've obtained all the information we needed from the Rin'negan-user, after all."

"And these words come from a man that had once fallen prey to his deadly genjutsu?"

Kakashi raised a fine brow.

The Hokage sighed and spun around her chair. She leaned back a little and closed her eyes in thought. "I suppose you're right. We're lucky that we have two Mangekyou-users in Konoha. Otherwise, we would have had to use a heady dose of truth serum on him."

The silver-haired jounin shrugged. "It was difficult though. And it was Sasuke that did most of the work."

"Oh, quit being modest." She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, stop giving all the credit to your ex-students."

He simply scratched the back of his head. "Hai, Tsunade-sama."

"Anyway, keep an eye on the Uchiha for a while. We still have to be extra cautious… These days, ninja seem to disregard the concept of loyalty more frequently."

The jounin nodded. "I agree."

….

**Author-person:** And that concludes the second chappie.

I know, I know… too much OOC-ness. I have to apologize for that. But I needed to make the impression that Sasuke has indeed pardoned his brother for his past foibles. I'll try to keep their conversations to a minimum, since after all, Uchiha are not really the chatty type. Kind gestures are enough, no?

Thank you for reading and please review!


	3. On Chivalry

**Chapter Three: **On Chivalry

….

**Author-person:** School is turning out to be hell. The only thing that kept me from going crazy with all the schoolwork and mayhem were my friends… and probably the books I had recently gotten obsessed with.

**To Vanity-chan: **Kakashi is rereading the series. Damn pervert just can't get enough of it. But who cares? Kakashi-sama's h-a-w-t meter skyrockets whenever he casually holds that naughty little orange book in his hand.

….

Itachi shook his head slowly. "I refuse, Haruno-san."

Sakura propped both hands on her hips and raised a very fine pink brow. "Why do you keep refusing my offer, Uchiha-san? I won't glomp, tackle or grope you." She reassured him, chuckling a little when the Uchiha coughed upon hearing the last few words.

"Still, I must refuse. It isn't chivalrous, to say the least." He insisted with a tone of finality in his voice.

Unfortunately, his words fell on deaf ears.

The Uchiha was growing quite irritated by Sakura's nagging, and he was _this_ close to welding her lips together with a Katon jutsu. Thank Kami he was slow to anger, or else he would've had his name back in the bingo books again… The ever patient Itachi kept his composure, only raising his eyebrow every now and then when Sakura told him the benefits of her proposal… including a soft, cushiony bed and edible food that was (supposedly) fit for a king

"And the Playstation! You do play Clash of the Ninja, right?"

He shook his head.

They'd been discussing the same thing for the past twenty minutes, and to put it bluntly, Itachi was getting tired of the medic's insistent prodding. Did she not know that five consecutive 'hns' meant that he was getting terribly annoyed? It's in the Guide to Taming the Uchiha. How could she not know that? Didn't his Otouto educate her properly with the weird ways of their Clan? More importantly, did Sasuke neglect to tell her that when it came to technology, Itachi was close to oblivious?

Scratch that, he was as ignorant as Sai trying to French kiss (with a tree, most likely).

"What is a Pray Station? Is it some sort of religious activity? If so, I'm not interested. I've had my fair share of having to go through Hidan's insane rituals." He said, his head tilting slightly to the side.

At that, Sakura couldn't help but laugh. "Uchiha-san, it's called a _Play _Station. You _play games _with it."

The man blinked and continued to walk. Albeit a little slower than before. Itachi mentally cursed himself for not knowing what the damned game console was and for not paying close attention when Sasuke was yelling at the TV while simultaneously strangling a victory-dancing Naruto.

Apparently, Sasuke getting K.O.-ed in DOA was illegal as long as you were inside the Uchiha compound.

"Ah." He said, after many seconds of debating with himself about what to respond. Itachi kept his voice as dull as he could.

Sakura beamed.

"I guess geniuses don't know everything about everything after all." She said, patting her patient lightly on the back.

The raven-haired male's sightless eyes glanced sideways. He refused to be affected by such trivial things… specifically little comments made by witty pink-haired shinobi.

"Hn."

Sure enough, Itachi was careful not to let anyone see what was underneath his emotional shell. He was, after all, known as a character who never really bothered to show that he cared enough to fuss over what others thought of him. He was a rock (as his brother's best friend bluntly pointed out). A boulder, even. Immovable and powerful… someone to be feared and respected at the same time.

But even the hardest of rocks has its weak point… And Sakura was determined to find it.

She was quite confident, really. Her pleasant personality, coupled with her natural ability to socialize with others effectively would more or less be enough to let the stoic ex-missing nin to open up to her…

Hopefully...

Sakura held her hand up to shield her bright green eyes from the sunlight. The weather was incredibly nice that day. It was just one of those days that made you feel like crawling up to your futon for a good, long nap… in Shikamaru's case, that is. But for shinobi who were not used to lazing around or watching clouds in all their fluffy glory, it was a relatively good day for a walk.

The Uchiha wasn't entirely against the idea of going around the village with Sakura, but who would've thought that fetching his medication from the kunoichi's house would result to them spending a weekend morning together? He hadn't expected her to actually let him stay so long outside the confines of his temporary 'home'. He was surprised, to say the least. Under normal circumstances, the medic would've had him strapped to his hospital bed if he even dared to step out of his room without supervision.

But unexpectedly, Sakura was actually the one to ask him to get his medicine.

It was a bit strange that she asked him to do so. But he thought that maybe it had been all part of her little ploy… To get comfortable with him and eventually try to force him to do the unthinkable.

Itachi mentally shook his head in disbelief. Who would've thought the innocent looking kunoichi to be so cunning?

But in actuality, Sakura wasn't scheming at all. The plan just popped into her head for some reason. And she wasn't the littlest bit aware that that Itachi would be so fervent in refusing her kind gesture. She was doing him a favor, damn it! And here he was, acting all chivalrous and insisting that he didn't want to bunk over at her place while Sasuke was too busy being a lazy ass to clean his house.

"Haruno-san, why _did_ you ask me to get my medication? I am sure that you are almost always in the hospital. You could have given it to me personally." The quiet male asked, finally.

At that, Sakura blinked. That was quite an unexpected question. She never really readied herself if ever he asked about that. And who would blame her? A stupid pebble could hold a better a conversation than Uchiha Itachi.

"I apologize for asking that. It was rather rude of me." He said, mistaking her silence for an offended reaction. He tucked his hands in the sleeves of his hakama.

"No, no! It isn't like that, Uchiha-san!" Sakura waved her hands frantically. "I just figured that maybe you needed to get out of the stuffy room once in a while. Get some fresh air, you know…"

"Ah."

"Seriously, you didn't have to apologize. I don't get offended easily." She laughed.

Itachi felt strangely relieved that she wasn't upset with him. Perhaps the way she had always treated him in a friendly demeanor had an effect on him. It gave him a certain push. Something to actually use as a support whenever the rejection that was easily coming off from the villagers seemed to make him a little less hopeful of being accepted again.

And he was afraid of losing that 'certain push'.

He thought at first that maybe gaining his brother's forgiveness would have been enough to get him back on his feet again. To help him get a firm grasp of a new and brighter future ahead of him.

But he was wrong.

The idea that he needed only his brother, the only kin he had left, deluded him from the truth. The truth that he needed more than Sasuke to keep on living. Because Sasuke had his own life too… and Itachi failed to realize at first that he would weigh his Otouto down like he did in the past... when he had been forced to implant thoughts of revenge in his brother's head.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, even to himself, Itachi needed companions. People who would listen to what he had to say. People who wouldn't shun him out like the rest of Konoha's town folk…

People who were willing enough to offer him forgiveness.

It was not usual for the Uchiha to be dependent on anyone else to continue his existence. He had always been on his own. But maybe the sudden exposure and attention resulted to the sudden need of companionship. It wasn't at all logical. But then again, it was entirely possible.

And in a way, Sakura had given him just that. The companionship he needed was practically given to him by her in a silver platter. She'd never been particularly disgusted with him, maybe a little disgruntled because of his constant refusal of taking in any medication, but never disgusted. Her brain just didn't work that way, he supposed. She was, in a way, simple-minded… But different from Naruto's definition of the word. Much less idiotic. She was simple-minded in a way that she didn't look too deep in what was necessary. And Itachi was somehow grateful for that.

The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki too, he guessed, was willing to become… a 'friend'. Itachi thought that if his rather short-tempered brother could stand the loudest shinobi in Konoha (possibly the whole world), then maybe he could too.

The sudden prospect of gaining a few new acquaintances somehow made him feel better. It made him smile inwardly.

"Haruno-san?" The Uchiha asked suddenly when a loud growl sounded from behind him. His brows furrowed with worry until the realization hit him. "Are you hungry?"

The pink-haired medic blushed and nodded sheepishly. "Sounds that way."

"I see," The male nodded and offered her his hand. "I know of a good establishment. Would you like to eat breakfast with me?"

His kind gesture caught Sakura by surprise.

"Er, sure." She took his hand and walked alongside him.

Itachi was quite used to going around the village by himself now, and Sakura was nothing short of impressed when he had managed to memorize the map of Konoha in a mere two days. She expected great things from one who was deemed a prodigy… but somehow, the fact that he was actually able to find his way to her doorstep that morning still baffled her.

And now, he claimed that he knew of a good place to eat. She was more than impressed.

Looking down at their hands, Itachi's around hers, Sakura felt the unnecessary need to blush. She hadn't really been in any 'intimate' physical contact with Itachi in spite of almost always being with him. So she wasn't particularly used to his touch. She had given him friendly pats of encouragement, but Sakura never actually thought she, of all people, would be holding hands with _the_ Uchiha Itachi. It was oddly flattering that he was the one that offered his hand to her, and slightly embarrassing that her stomach had decided to express its lack of contents so loudly… But Sakura guessed it was okay. Seeing that Itachi seemed to not care even if she decided to pick her nose right in front of him.

Her proposal, however, was an entirely different matter.

"Anyway, back to the subject…You can't stay cooped up in your hospital room forever, and Sasuke-kun hasn't even started cleaning your room yet. " The pink-haired female said, looking up at his face.

"Then I'll just have to help Sasuke, won't I?"

"I will not allow it! I refuse to let you be within a five-foot radius of Uchiha Sasuke and his Cleaning Materials of Doom!" The kunoichi exclaimed, freeing her hand from Itachi's grasp and looking seriously deranged.

"You have absolutely no idea how that boy 'cleans' the house."

Itachi raised a brow. "Try me."

"It involves a song called Helena and your little brother holding a broom in his hands." Sakura shuddered at the thought.

Damn Kiba for introducing her usually unfeeling friend to the world of music. She made a mental note to talk to the Inuzuka about it later… And maybe shove his little iPod up his ass while she was at it.

That would be strangely satisfying.

The older Uchiha's features twisted into a look of amusement as he acquired a new piece of information about his little brother. But no, he still did not like the proposition that Sakura had presented to him. It was probably the most incredulous thing anyone had ever asked of him… even crazier than the elders ordering him to kill his clan. Well, maybe not… but still! It was preposterous! Ridiculous! Absurd!

"Uchiha-san, I insist. As your medic, I refuse to allow to you to stay in such an… unsanitary place while your wounds are still healing." She said, dismissing the image of Rocker Sasuke in her mind, broom slash guitar and all…

Itachi stopped walking and raised an eyebrow at her again, seemingly scrutinizing her features despite being sightless. "You are saying that your home is more sanitary than the Uchiha compound?" He inquired, turning to face her fully and blinking at the pink and red blur.

Sakura cleared her throat." I never stated such a thing."

"Well, your banter implied it."

"Did it?"

"Yes, it did."

Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I just thought that maybe it's safer for you to stay over at my house." She swallowed an awful lump that formed in her throat.

"Safer, you say?"

"Yes. I'm sure you're getting annoyed with the interrogation team barging into your room every few hours… Not to mention Naruto, whose trying his hardest to provoke you into fighting him by bonking you on the head- I still don't get how you can stand that. I'll have to talk with him about your possible future concussion."

Itachi shrugged and gave the kunoichi an amused look. "I have an insane amount of patience, apparently. And I don't think you'll have to worry about my skull any time soon."

She ignored his comment. "Don't forget about the fan girls! I would expect them to find a way to drill a hole through the roof within the next few days!"

He grew more amused. Itachi tried to consider her idea again. This time, seriously. But it seemed that he was to stubborn to give in to Sakura's wishes. She was correct about him getting annoyed with the interrogation team, slightly right about Naruto, and much about the girls, but he shook his head slowly and offered her a small apologetic smile. "Haruno-san, I'm afraid I still can't accept your offer."

Sakura bit her lip. "I half-expected that. So you would rather sleep in a cardboard box than in my house, hm?" She said in a hurt voice. Sakura looked down at the ground. "I apologize for irritating you."

Itachi's onyx eyes widened. Sakura was unmistakably upset. The tone of her voice suggested so… And was that a sniffle he heard? He suddenly felt guilty. He was taught to be polite especially with women when he was younger. Well, except maybe with enemies… but the pink and red blur standing in front of him was clearly not an enemy. In fact, she was the complete opposite.

Just a moment ago, he was trying to be chivalrous… How did he end up hurting a young girl's feelings?

Itachi's face twisted into a grimace. He certainly was opposed to the idea, but…

"All right, Haruno-san," He sighed. "I'll… bunk over at your place."

A wide smile graced the pink-haired medic's face as soon as the words escaped the Uchiha's lips. "Ah, chivalrous indeed. I knew you couldn't stand making women cry."

He winced. That was… irritating.

Women.

How could they be so unbelievably cunning and still get away with it? It was unfair.

He raised a dark brow at her. "That was quite low of you."

"I know, I know. But a medic must do whatever it takes to keep their patients healthy. Getting harrassed by some persistent shinobi, hit by annoying brats and glomped by a legion of rabid fans will definitely NOT make you healthy." She jabbed a finger at his chest.

"Why can't I stay at my own house again?"

"Unless you want to get scarred for life by a kid who's fantasizing to become a rock star and risk getting your wounds infected while said kid keeps flinging dust bunnies at you, then I guess you can stay at your house instead…" She laughed lightly. It was a soft tinkling sound that Itachi would actually grow fond of.

"But that would hurt my feelings again and you would jeopardize my position as head medic. You know, by proving that I am incapable of taking care of my patient and letting him do whatever he wants…"

The stoic nin blinked at Sakura and shook his head in disbelief. "And so you are using my apparent chivalrousness to your full advantage?"

"Yes."

"Very smart, Haruno-san."

The kunoichi beamed at him as she took his slightly bigger and calloused hand in hers.

"It's Sakura, Itachi-san."

….

**Author-person:** Hah! Finally done… Sorry for the delay everyone!!

Notice that Sakura and Itachi are making a little progress... Don't worry. I won't put in the full blown mushiness until a few more chapters. It would seem just wrong to put in the super fluff right then and there. And I hate relationships that are too rushed.

I know, this chapter sucked big time. I'll try and make up for it... Oh, and tell me if I have errors. I was kind of in a sneaking around to use the internet...

Please read and review! This author is in much need of encouragement. -slumps over desk-


	4. Comments

**Chapter Four**: Comments

….

**Author-person: **I wrote this after watching Forbidden Kingdom. Nyaha.

I apologize for taking all this time to update. I just recently took my college entrance exams and my brain wasn't functioning as properly as it should (yet again, I believe).

Oh, and major OOC-ness. I love an OOC Sasuke. Have I mentioned that?

….

"NO!"

Uchiha Sasuke was possibly one of the quietest ninja in all of Konoha. He only spoke when spoken to, when he was asked to, when his friends frequently prodded him to, and when a certain Uzumaki Naruto was being so much of an idiot that he absolutely HAD to. Needless to say, he was practically devoid of unnecessary comments when compared to the other shinobi of his rather talented age group. In truth, anyone unaccustomed to his behavior would even assume that he was mute, or verbally challenged, or a guy with a stick up his ass.

So why was he yelling at the top of his all-too masculine voice and throwing a hissy fit… in Sakura's apartment, no less?

"Oh, quit PMS-ing Sasuke-teme. He's only staying until you get off your butt and start cleaning your pigsty of a house. Properly, this time." An annoyed blonde sat down on Sakura's polished wooden floor.

Frankly, Naruto had had enough of Sasuke's rambling and vehement protests against his brother staying over at his pink-haired teammate's place. Who would ever have thought that Sasuke, _the_ Uchiha Sasuke would be so unbelievably… touchy about the subject?

Well, at least he finally understood what his best friend felt like when _he_ was throwing a tantrum.

"And this comes from a person who hasn't cleaned his room in six weeks." Sakura mumbled, while Naruto stuck his tongue out at her.

Sakura too, was getting quite aggravated with her normally stoic friend's uncharacteristic display of whininess. Sure, she expected him to refuse the idea just like Itachi previously had. She'd imagined him sending her his trademark glare or maybe even attempting to hurl a Grand Fireball at her direction, but never did she think of Sasuke acting like a crabby little git, scratch that, an annoyingly noisy and crabby little git that obviously had a stick, no, a bloody pole shoved up his ass.

"Sasuke, you're giving me a migraine." She said, rubbing her already aching temples.

Sasuke's eyes continued to blaze. Ignoring all side comments, he glared daggers at his frustrated audience and insisted that they focus on the 'problem' at hand. The Uchiha slammed his palms on the small table and narrowed his eyes at the three people who were lined up side by side on the floor.

"Why didn't I get a chance to have my say in this? This is a stupid idea! And you-" He pointed an accusing finger at his brother who was currently sipping tea "-Why the hell did you agree to this? You're the last person on Earth who I expected to agree live with a girl. Alone. And unsupervised!"

Itachi almost spat out his drink. He shot a look of incredulity in the direction of the black-topped blur.

"Excuse me…?"

The older Uchiha blinked a considerable number of times and shifted uncomfortably in his kneeling position. Was his brother implying that he would attempt to do anything… impolite to the girl? Kami knew how much he had refused to take on Sakura's offer, and that it was she who initially brought up the idea. So why on Earth was he being accused of as being a lecher? It was unfair for Sasuke to think that way.

Yes, Itachi came to the point where he could be called a cold-hearted murderer. What, with him having killed his Clan and countless other people while he was with the Akatsuki, one would expect him to be branded as such. But NEVER, in all his life, has he been accused of being a pervert. Hell, for all Sasuke knew, Itachi's hormones could have taken a permanent vacation.

And yet, here was his brother, the only living kin he had in the world, openly accusing him of being a dirty old man. He wasn't Jiraiya, for Kami's sake.

It disappointed him (to no end) that his Ototou would even think of him as someone capable of doing anything boorish to a lady… Besides, had the thought of Itachi being the real victim occur to the younger Uchiha? What if the seemingly innocent Sakura were a fan girl in disguise, ready to grope the poor man to oblivion when given the chance?

"Sasuke, you're being unreasonable." He said after reorganizing his jumbled thoughts and setting his cup down on the table. "And honestly, a bit perverted if I say so myself."

A yellow and pink blur bobbed up and down on either side of him.

"I CAN'T help thinking perverted thoughts. You know why? Because my brother and FEMALE teammate are staying together, under one roof, I repeat, ALONE and UNSUPERVISED." He gritted out as he began to pace back and forth.

Sakura blushed at his words and threatened to whack him on the head with a ceramic vase. But she reminded herself to have a little more self-control since her attempt to kill Itachi's little brother would pretty much make things more complicated.

The medic sighed inwardly. If only the sightless Uchiha didn't give a damn about what she did to Sasuke, wringing the boy's neck would be no problem. But then again, she'd have to deal with said boy's best friend if she went on with her plans. Should she kill him in his sleep? Or get him in an 'accident' the next time he decides to sharpen his kunai?

_Decisions, decisions… _

Meanwhile, in the younger Uchiha's head, complete pandemonium was gradually brewing. He had not anticipated anything like this to happen. In truth, he'd even prepared himself for Itachi's supposed moving in back to the compound. But when Sakura announced what she and the older Uchiha had decided on, Sasuke just couldn't help but to shout out just how impossibly wrong the idea was. Not to mention how dim it was of the pink-haired female to assume that he hadn't cleaned his residence.

Did she just indirectly accuse him of being hygienically challenged?

"I cleaned the house. Sanitized it, if you'd prefer a much more medical term. All because you wanted aniki to live in a germ-free environment. And this is what you-"

"Sasuke-kun, what is that thing poking out of your pocket?" Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"… an iPod."

"And what is currently the song on top of your playlist?"

Sasuke stiffened noticeably as Sakura stood up from where she was sitting. She raised a quizzical brow at him.

The boy gulped involuntarily. A certain Inuzuka Kiba had confronted him the other day about controlling his sudden obsession with a particular foreign band, and warned him (fervently) of the kunoichi's apparent dislike of anything related to Gerard Way. What was wrong with the eccentric lead singer, Sasuke did not know. What he did know was that he did not like the twisted piece of… something, supposedly the remains of a dearly departed iPod, clutched in Kiba's hands.

"That's none of your business." He said, stuffing his little music player, deeper in his pockets.

Now that his female teammate was suspicious, he secretly thought of hiding his makeshift electric guitar, er, broom somewhere out of the pink-haired girl's rubber-covered clutches.

The medic kept her eyebrow raised. Her hands moved from her hips to cross in front of her chest. It was not easy putting up the tough façade in front of Uchiha Sasuke. Heck, she was more than surprised that it actually worked on him… But she figured that if intimidating Sasuke was the only way to stop his complaining, then so be it.

The dark-haired nin huffed and deliberated about whether he would continue with the utterly pointless debate or not. He wasn't the least bit pleased, but he really couldn't do anything about what had been already decided. Whatever excuse he might come up with would eventually be countered by Sakura… maybe even Itachi himself if the guy would finish his tea faster…

"Fine," He grunted. "But I'm not happy about it."

Sakura grinned triumphantly. It wasn't the first time she had gotten away with something that was completely against Sasuke's ideals. She prided herself with the forty-five victories she'd attained in over forty-nine arguments that she and her former crush had gotten themselves into. Inevitable, the arguments were. Generally, the topics concerned were on sexism. And Sakura, being the second strongest female in Konoha Gakure, felt immensely obliged to shut Sasuke up from his incessant ranting about how female shinobi were being a tad too soft and unnecessarily noisy during battles. Other topics included Sakura's persistent wooers, Sasuke's strange and annoying over protectiveness (occasionally, his fan girls would take center stage), and Naruto's complete ignorance of whatever was happening in their social lives.

"Quit being a prick and be happy about it, Teme. At least you won't get your ass whooped big time in Ninja Gaiden in front of your dear old big bro." Naruto grinned toothily and put an arm around Itachi's shoulders.

"Right, Itachi-nii?"

The startled male's blank eyes widened. _Itachi… nii?_

Sasuke glowered. "Itachi-nii? What the fuck, Dobe?"

"Sakura-chan told me honorifics were a must. So… there you have it! And besides," He pulled Itachi in a bone-breaking hug. "I'm your best friend, Teme. So it's okay if I call your brother that, right? What's yours is mine as well."

"You make it sound like we're… married."

"Exactly."

"Ugh."

The young Uchiha sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Leave it to Naruto to be annoyingly annoying. It wasn't that he minded the honorific, he just thought that the blonde was being a little too friendly… considering that he and Itachi just 'met' a week ago (minus the usual hostile ambiance). Of course, Sasuke was well aware that his brother needed to be in the company of affable people, but seriously, wasn't his orange-clad friend going a wee bit overboard?

_Oh, right. This is Naruto we're talking about._

He face-palmed and shot an exasperated look at Sakura who merely shrugged in response.

"Whatever."

"Ne, ne, Itachi-nii," Naruto shook the man by the shoulders vigorously, the drink threatening to spill all over his female friend's floor.

The kunoichi sucked in her breath.

"You promised to spar with me when you get all better, remember?" He puffed out his chest and gave an all-out grin that Itachi failed to see.

"I did," The man answered, hands dripping with tea. He grimaced when he realized that his black shirt was soaked as well. "But could we postpone it for another day, Naruto-kun?"

The blonde visibly sagged. "But-"

"Dobe,"

"But-!"

"Naruto,"

"BUT-!"

"Naruto-kun,"

Betrayal was etched across the loud ninja's face. And honestly, Sasuke had never seen him look like that since he left them for Orochimaru.

"I apologize for making you feel too hopeful," Itachi bowed slightly upon realizing that the blonde blur of enthusiasm had been quiet for what seemed like a few minutes or so. "But I am not quite done unpacking my things yet. And I'd hate to burden Ha- Sakura-san any further."

Sakura's head snapped up so quickly that it was surprising that it was still attached to her neck. She attempted to interject, but her whiskered friend was, unfortunately, quicker to reply.

"Oh. It's okay then, 'Tachi-nii. And I thought you were just ditching me to get some 'alone time'-" He made little quotation marks in the air- "-with Sakura-chan. Not that that isn't okay! I mean, we all have to come to that point in our lives, right?"

Sasuke, formerly grumbling to himself, snorted with laughter while Itachi's lips twitched slightly, as if it was going to break into a smile. He coughed instead.

"NA-RU-TO…" The sound of cracking knuckles reverberated in the blind shinobi's ears.

"Ehehe. Wait-!S-Sakura-chan!"

Sakura pulled her fist back as far as she could and sent it towards Naruto's face so fast that the blonde didn't even have enough time to react.

"WAAH!" He yelled, clenching his eyes shut and readying himself for the bone-crushing clout that would come in say, two point five seconds?

So he waited…

And waited…

But nothing came.

There was no blood, no pain, no ear-piercing yelp that was supposed to come up from his throat. Only a faint cracking sound, and a dull thud that made the floorboards vibrate from under them.

Sakura would have grinned smugly when she felt her fist make impact on a hard surface. Naruto's nose, preferably. When a satisfying crunch sounded just as her knuckle connected with his bone, when he was sent stumbling onto the wall, his face, bloody, all because of his natural stupidity. She would have felt content, pleased with herself, fulfilled, that she managed to punish Naruto for his idiotic, thoughtless and suggestive little comment.

But noooooooo…

"Oh, fuck!" Sasuke said, mouth agape, obsidian eyes wide in shock.

The kunoichi blinked. Her gaze moved from her bloody fist, to the person unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of her punch.

Jade eyes widened in terror.

"Ow." Itachi sat up slowly, his hand clutching his broken nose, warm, red liquid oozing between his fingers.

"I-Itachi-nii!"

"Shit!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine,"

Itachi waved his free hand casually as he proceeded to sit Indian style. He winced as he felt the pain finally taking over his face. It wasn't new… but it wasn't everyday that someone as inhumanly strong as Haruno Sakura decided to land a blow on his face. His cheekbones seemed to go numb as time passed, and it stung whenever he made the slightest movement. Talking was hard enough… He wondered how much it would hurt if he started shouting at the three panicking blurs running around the room, their hysterical voices getting louder and louder in each passing minute.

"What do we do?! What do we do?!" Naruto yelled, running back and forth, waving his arms frantically in the air.

"Sakura, where do you keep your tampons?!" Sasuke asked anxiously, hovering near his brother. Itachi's lips twitched.

"Teme, this is hardly the time for you to be going all gay on us!!"

"Shut up, idiot! I need them! _He_ needs them!" He gestured to Itachi whose eyebrow was raised questioningly.

"What?!" Sakura blushed. "Why the hell would you- he need them?!"

"To stop the bleeding, genius! Shove a freaking tampon up his nose!"

"Really, I'm alright. Maybe Sakura-san's medical-"

"Don't butt in, Itachi! This is your fault, Naruto! If you hadn't made that suggestive comment-"

"Why is it my fault? Just because you wanted to frolic like bunnies-!"

"SHANNARO!!"

"Whoa- hey! Easy! What if you just used your healing chakra on him? Right? Right?!"

"Oh… right."

"Tch."

Sakura glared.

"I hope you've hidden Twiggy somewhere safe, Sa-su-ke-kun."

….

**Author-person: **It's… 2 am. And I am… done! Ha!

I hope this was okay. I wasn't too pleased about this chapter. Hm.

Please, oh please, drop a review… I would very much appreciate your comments and constructive crit. Thank you!


	5. Comfort

**Chapter Five:** Comfort

….

**Author-person: **NOOOO. My first day of uni is just around the corner. Haaaalp!

Anywho, have I mentioned that this will be a very light story and will be only… say, ten (maybe twelve) chapters short? No conspiratorial plots here, people. But do not fear! I will not shove pointless fluff at your faces. I'm giving subtle romance a shot (but oh yes. There WILL be -some- fluff). :3

I am sorry for the wait, also. I hope you enjoy!

Some OOC-ness.

….

"Is it fixed?"

"It looks a little… crooked."

"No it doesn't! It looks perfectly fine!"

"Ow. Ow. OW."

"Stop poking his nose, Dobe."

"I was just checking. God, sometimes you are so freaking _gay._"

"HN."

Itachi blinked and touched the bridge of his nose as lightly as he could. Oddly enough, it seemed alright… Maybe Naruto just didn't consider being delicate when handling newly healed injuries. Or perhaps the whole concept of 'being careful' was just too hard for him to grasp… Itachi thought of this while the blonde continued to poke his mended nose with what the older Uchiha thought to be the hilt of a kunai.

Sakura had been frantic and hysterical while she was treating him, much to the older Uchiha's inner amusement. It was the first time he'd actually seen, well, _heard _her that way… She usually kept a relatively calm composure, and he had already started wondering if the only real emotions she displayed were that of cheerfulness, annoyance and what he'd like to call Defcon Five (for when Sakura gets scary beyond all reason).

It took about an hour to get the bones right and for the skin to completely mend, but they felt it had been a whole day. Sasuke was asking questions every now and then, with the littlest bit of worry lacing his tone. Naruto however had no trouble openly voicing his concerns and displaying his immense curiosity. Once, he even instigated a bet to see how long the pink-haired medic could get her chakra to completely heal the injury. He was only answered by a look of exasperation and annoyance by his two team mates, but Itachi seemed willing to bet at least fifty ryu.

"I trust Sakura-san's medical skills completely." He shrugged then, and Sakura felt all her blood go up to her face.

"Stay still, Itachi-san." She said as she wiped the spots of blood on his lips with a damp towel. Sakura kept her head down as the Uchiha's lips twitched upwards slightly.

"I still say we should have shoved a tam--"

"Oh, stop being such a perv, Teme."

….

Itachi lay down on his bed, pondering after Sakura had finished helping him carry his things to his room. The kunoichi had even gone as far as to offer to help him unpack his belongings, but the elder Uchiha had protested rather firmly against all her attempts at lending a hand. Sure, she had tried to debate with him again, throwing whatever witty remarks she could come up with at him, but the simple logic of Itachi being a 'man' and owning 'man things' immediately shut her up and had her blushing every shade of red as she retreated back into the comforts of her kitchen.

Truthfully, Itachi was still reluctant about staying in her house for some days, and was more than a little confused at how they were going to live together without feeling the slightest bit awkward with each other. He considered the fact that it wouldn't really take all that long to get used to Sakura (judging by how she was so easy to get along with) and this thought seemed to please him a bit. Wearily, he nodded to himself, deciding not to dwell on the fact that he and a lady friend are going to live under the same roof (albeit temporarily).

He had to admit though, having someone as kind as Haruno Sakura to take care of him and make him feel at home was a rather nice experience.

It was only a couple of weeks since he had arrived in Konoha, and so far everything has been going smoothly for him… mainly because of the pink-haired kunoichi's peculiar willingness to help out. The general public's view of him had changed drastically ever since Sakura had started touring him around the village and treating him to various eating establishments (he had _tried _to pay for their meals at least _thrice_ but the kunoichi seemed to have taken advantage of his blindness). Itachi couldn't deny that there were the occasional snubs and some others who were still fearful and overly cautious, but there was also quite a number village folk that had been pleasant and welcoming. A little reserved and careful, still… but that was better than nothing.

His thoughts drifted to Sakura again when he tried to recall the map he had constructed in his mind while they toured. He remembered her as that pink-haired little girl with big bottle green eyes and the wide forehead from several years ago. And although it was only a small part of his brain that was thinking up the less important things at that time, he remembered saying to himself that that girl with the wide forehead would become quite pretty when she grew up.

Itachi blinked, his mouth pressing into a thin line. He rolled over to his side and closed his eyes.

Perhaps he wasn't so wrong about that.

….

There were various things scattered all over the floor of the Uchiha Manor. Unrolled weapon scrolls, calligraphy brushes, empty ink bottles, newly sharpened kunai, shuriken and several wakizashi were carelessly strewn all over the place. Dust coated the wooden furnishings and dirty clothes had piled up on the sofa.

A blonde boy grimaced and cast a sideways glance at his dark-haired companion who had started scuffing his bare foot on the dusty floor.

"Teme," Naruto said carefully, eyebrows furrowed and blue eyes contemplative. "What the hell? I knew that you didn't actually take cleaning seriously anymore… but wow…"

Uchiha Sasuke only grunted in reply and started picking up his kunai up from the floor. Naruto wouldn't understand even if he tried to explain anyway. Months of house-arrest had done this to him.

The first few weeks of his confinement, he had resorted to cleaning the manor to keep from boredom. It was just something he had decided to do. Not really because he wanted to… It was only meant to pass the time, really. That was until the 'chore' became something akin to a hobby and Sasuke had gradually developed into some sort of neat-freak.

He had actually reached the point where he enjoyed doing the chores and had even started restoring their house to its former glory. He would straighten every frame, fix every crack, polish every surface until they had reached his standard of perfection. Everything just became so _pristine _and _neat_ and in _order_ that Naruto had been rendered temporarily blind the first time he entered the house, Chouji had felt guilty about leaving potato chip crumbs on the floor, Shikamaru gained to impulse to sit upright and not slouch, Kiba had decided to leave Akamaru outside and Shino had panicked over the lack of insects. The boys found it so … unnerving and oddly unsettling that they finally decided to hold their Movie Nights in Naruto's small but much more bachelor pad-ish apartment.

"God forbid that we set one unclean toe in the House of Uchiha." Said Neji who had joined them to watch a film called Star Trek (Shikamaru's pick) one evening. He earned one scathing look from the irritated Uchiha.

It was the last straw when Sasuke himself had slipped on the immaculately smooth and shiny floor for the fifth time one summer day despite walking in a rather slow and careful manner. At last, it had finally dawned on him that he was too hygienic for his own good.

He still cleaned occasionally… but never as much as he did before. Usually he did chores while listening to music now, and that didn't really help one bit.

Naruto had known for some time that his best friend was trying to minimize his hygienic tendencies. He'd even volunteered to mess up the place a bit when Sasuke mentioned something about 'taking it easy'. The blonde had no idea that just weeks after he had slightly trashed the place, the Uchiha Manor had become the next nuke testing site.

And didn't Sasuke mention earlier that he had sanitized the place for Itachi's stay?

"I thought you'd cleaned--"

"Shut up."

"You were going to make Itachi-nii live--"

"Hn."

"… Teme."

….

Hatake Kakashi is fairly amiable. He puts teamwork and companionship above all else and is a genuinely caring person. He also finds eccentric things interesting and strangely fascinating…

So there was really no surprise when he had decided to appear at Sakura's doorstep at 8 pm to ask for Uchiha Itachi's, er, company.

"A party?" Sakura raised a fine pink brow and propped one hand on her hip. The embarrassment from days earlier had been replaced with a feeling of protectiveness for her patient. Admittedly, she had grown quite fond of Itachi and she wasn't about to let him into any danger that her ex-sensei would most likely lead them into. "What kind of party?"

The silver-haired jounin shrugged and gave her an eye crinkle. "A normal one, I suppose. It's not like we're going to use drugs or anything."

"Haha. Really funny."

The man hummed, clearly amused. "My humor has improved, hasn't it?'

It wasn't that she didn't trust Kakashi. She doubted the possibility of him and his usual companions doing anything illegal… but for him to actually ask for Itachi was naturally suspicious. Intriguing, even. Sakura thought that the man had some sort of underlying purpose behind the supposed party he was inviting the Uchiha to… not to mention the fact that Kakashi didn't even think about inviting _her_. His ex-student. His _friend_.

Suspicious… Very suspicious.

"So, can the man join me or not?" He cast a sideways glance at the Uchiha sitting quietly on the leather couch in Sakura living room. Itachi only tilted his head questioningly and had that usual blank expression on his face.

Sakura bit her lip. "Are you sure you aren't going to--"

"Sakura, I'm offended that you would accuse me of plotting something that would put our guest into jeopardy." Kakashi sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "That is so unlike me."

The kunoichi deadpanned. "Fine. I expect him to be in one piece when you return him. I suppose I should set a curfew--"

"God, no!" The jounin splayed a hand dramatically on his chest and gave his ex-student a horrified look. "What are you, his mother? Sakura, at one point of every man's life, he's got to experience a bit of liberation. Don't keep him chained to your house like this. It's just cruel and inhumane." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Sakura bonked him lightly on the head.

"Fine, no curfew. But tell me what you're going to do."

"Fair enough," another sigh. "It's a… how do I phrase this… A sort of a Grown-Up Get Together Thing, if you will."

Sakura grimaced as her jounin friend walked past her and lifted one slightly surprised Uchiha by the elbow. Itachi glanced up at the silver-topped blur and furrowed his brows in confusion.

"He better be back by the time I return from my shift at the hospital. And I forbid more than two glasses of alcohol!"

"I will keep that in mind, Sakura-baachan." Kakashi teased. He earned another whack on the head.

"…"

"Oh don't give me that look. We're not going anywhere near the red light district."

Itachi blinked and sent a very alarmed look at the pink blur standing by the door. He half-expected her to punch the man holding his arm to oblivion, but to his surprise she only let out another sigh and came closer to them.

"Kakashi," she said in a very threatening tone. "if anything happens to my patient, ANYTHING--" Itachi thought that she was shaking her fist at the silver-haired man. "--I will make it a point to bash your face in."

The jounin laughed lightly at her threat and the Uchiha instantly wondered if Kakashi had a few screws loose.

"I suppose it would be pointless for me to refuse the invite, Hatake-san?"

"Ohohoho," Kakashi patted the blind man lightly on the shoulder and proceeded to drag him out of the house. "Very pointless."

….

The pub was a noisy place filled with relatively sober people and a handful of flailing drunks. It was a small establishment only capable of holding thirty people at most, but it also seemed to be the liveliest one amongst the shops lining that particular district of Konoha. But although it looked to be a frequent haunt of the village's resident alcoholics, the crowd they had mingled with that night was a friendly bunch, the stoic nin mused. They were all smiles and nice talk.

Itachi had been talked to by some giggling girls the very moment Kakashi had made him sit in one of the quieter corners of the pub, and if it weren't for the older shinobi's shooing, Itachi had expected the girls to have gone farther than to put a hand on his thigh. The Uchiha cringed inwardly and asked the gods (he considered even Jashin) where the innocent and meek ladies of his village could have gone.

"Ah, Genma, Izumo, Kotatsu." Kakashi all but drawled their supposed companions' names as the sound of scraping chairs and a collective sigh of relief reached the stoic man's ears.

He half expected the whole group to fall into an awkward silence the moment they'd sat down, but to his surprise they had opened up conversation quite immediately. Genma had started on small talk about the new missions he was going to get the following week and the other two had grumbled about the new batch of genins being more of a pain in the ass than the hyper Uzumaki Naruto. Itachi kept silent and was only partly listening, though. Part of his attention was preoccupied with the nagging fact that these people were being quite nonchalant around him.

Perhaps he wouldn't be too intrigued if at least one of them acted fidgety or unsettled while he was there, but he could not perceive even a hint of discomfort in his companions' voices. He listened as more of their group arrived. He caught familiar names like Yamato, Anko, Kurenai and Gai who either sat next to him or somewhere quite near. Someone had even moved to refill his sake cup, and another had asked for his piece of Ebi tempura ("Gai, you pig! Stop taking the poor man's food!")

Itachi's brows furrowed in thought. He should actually be more than happy, but why was he feeling uncomfortable at their supposed acceptance of his presence? There was seriously something wrong with these people.

"Uchiha-san," the stoic nin recognized the voice to be Kurenai's and turned his head to her direction. "Something the matter?"

The dark-haired man blinked twice before shaking his head slowly and focusing his attention on his food once more. He would have liked to ask them the about the thought that's been clawing at the back of his head all evening, but he opted to stay silent. They would probably tell him when they felt like it. It would be wrong to pry.

"MAN! I was so fucking close to going out with her!" A collective laugh and the clinking of glasses.

There was the sound of a bottle being set down nearby and Itachi noticed the silence that had enveloped their table. He could almost see his companions' heads turn to the little distraction just a few feet away.

"It's that kid again." Anko said, downing her cup of sake and holding it out to Kakashi for a refill. "Idiot wants to get sent to the hospital so badly."

The white-haired jounin chuckled. "Easy, Anko. You do know that there are a lot of lady nurses and medics in the hospital, right?"

"I'd get him sent to old woman Chieko's care. I'm sure she would love shoving a syringe up his goddamn a--"

"Anko."

"Whaaaaaat?" The examiner slurred, flailing her arms at Yamato and sloshing a little alcohol on Itachi's shirt in the process. Itachi blinked as he felt the liquid seep into the fabric of his clothes. He winced.

"Ooops. Sorry, kid."

"Nonetheless! I agree wholeheartedly with Anko!" Gai yelled, a myriad of colors bursting in the background as he pumped his fist in the air. Everyone clapped as a dancing elephant in a tutu leapt out of nowhere. "No matter how youthful it is, that young man should know when he's getting too far!"

"I'd like to agree with what he said, but I'm afraid to be associated with rainbows, gumdrops and elephants in tutus."

"I heard he groped Hinata-chan the other day. Poor girl… Fainted on the spot." Izumo whispered in a low voice.

"Lee-kun told me he dared to tell Tenten-chan to see if his kunai was sharp enough!"

"And what's wrong with that?"

"He isn't a ninja!"

There were gasps and the sound of Genma cursing at the liquor coming through his nose. Kakashi only hummed to himself, busy observing the said groper who was now chugging down a sake bottle… Gai had already started radiating the aura of gloominess he had reserved especially for sympathizing with his students' pain and/or misfortunes.

Itachi was thoroughly amused at the others' antics. He'd never actually gossiped or shared any stories with his previous shinobi acquaintances back in ANBU. Talking had only included topics that were relevant to the assignment they were given and there was no room for idle chat about who married who's mother or anything remotely entertaining.

Perhaps that was why Kakashi had quit so many years ago?

"Oh, oh! There's a lesser known story about him!" Kotetsu whispered conspiratorially, so that the other shinobi had huddled closer (with Gai pulling Itachi along to join them in a circle).

"You know, I talked to this kid, who knew this other kid, who new my cousin, who new this _other _kid who studied at the Academy, and is a big fan of Nara Shikamaru's genius, who is, as you all know, friends with Yamanaka Ino who's best friends slash rivals with Haruno Sakura aaaand…"

"_NO._" Yamato had said, wide-eyed.

"He actually said to Sakura-chan, 'Hey pinky, you want to fiddle my diddle? Yo.'"

Someone coughed violently and started banging their fist on the wooden table.

"Oh my god," said Anko who was already tearing up a bit. "That has got to be _-cough- _the cheesiest pick-up line_ -cough- _in the history of the world!"

While the Chuunin examiner was busy focusing all her attention on criticizing the shinobi group's current source of annoyance, Itachi's mind had flooded with thoughts of subtle revenge against the man Gai had labeled the Shameful Youth of Unyouthfulness. It wasn't normal for Itachi to barge into other people's business or to be the resident pervert-punisher of the village. He wouldn't have even thought of SYU as anything but a pile of dung that constantly harassed some of Konoha's most promising kunoichi… but this case, he thought as he raised a sake cup to his lips, was entirely different.

SYU had sexually harassed Haruno Sakura. His medic. His tour guide. His housemate. His… _friend_. And Uchiha Itachi was going to do something about it.

It was probably going to be his way of compensation, he thought as he listened for any sound of movement from the nearby table. Sakura had been very kind to him. She had been supportive and helpful and genuinely concerned for his welfare. It was only right that he give her justice.

Chairs scraped against the floor and SYU's laughter could be heard coming nearer and nearer and nearer…

"Ahhh!"

"Oof!"

"Watch it!"

There was the sound of breaking glass, the clatter of plates and the sound of a man screaming about his eyeball getting stabbed with a chopstick as Itachi sipped his liquor quietly in his seat.

"WHAT THE HELL-!?" SYU yelled right at the dark-haired man's ear. He was obviously drunk, having not realized that he was shattering the eardrum of an ex-Akatsuki and one of the most powerful shinobi in all of Konoha. SYU grabbed the collar of said powerful shinobi's shirt roughly and pulled him to his feet.

"You really want to mess with me, eh?" In the background, Itachi could hear Anko's muffled laughter and Kakashi's humming.

"I apologize." The dark-haired man said, tilting his head to the side and wrapping his fingers around the pervert's wrist. "I did not really intend to listen for your footsteps, or to stretch my leg just as you were about to cross the aisle, hence causing you to trip and fall."

Anko fell out of her chair and Kurenai had to clamp a hand right over the drunk woman's mouth to keep her quiet.

"You little shit!"

….

"Aaaah, I'm going to get a lot of scolding for this." Kakashi scratched his head as he and his dark-haired companion walked along the now quiet street of Konoha's residential area. The jounin sighed and shoved gloved hands in his pockets.

"By the way, Uchiha-san, that was very nicely done." Kakashi complimented, one eye curving upwards. "I wouldn't have executed a better toss. The man had been thrown at such a distance that everyone was even giving you a standing ovation."

Itachi only nodded in reply and retained the indifferent expression on his face. Secretly, he was quite pleased to know that SYU had been taught at least one lesson that night. Perhaps in the days to come, other people would eventually start giving the pervert a piece of their minds.

The two men rounded a corner and continued to walk silently to Sakura's home. It had been a long night and they were probably more tired than they cared to admit. Nonetheless, it had been fun spending time with some of the adults... and with Itachi's small performance, there would be no doubt that the shinobi present in the gathering would be talking about it for a few days.

"Still sober?" The older jounin asked, silver hair glinting in the moonlight.

"I am not easily inebriated."

"Good for you." Kakashi's eye curved, and Itachi found himself giving his senior a small grin.

When they had finally neared Sakura's building, Kakashi muttered a promise to invite the Uchiha again in the next gathering, a bigger one most probably, and turned on his heel. Itachi thought that perhaps it was a wise decision to leave him before they arrived at the house. It was half past two in the morning, and his pink-haired medic would most probably be already at home. He cringed inwardly at the thought of experiencing Defcon Five first hand.

"See you." Kakashi said, before giving a casual wave and disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

Itachi walked a few steps more before recognizing the feel of the surroundings. He had been escorted up until they'd reached the entrance of Sakura's home, he realized as he reached for the spare key perched atop the doorframe. The silver-haired jounin really had troubled himself with accompanying the Uchiha back (and risked facing the pink-haired kunoichi's wrath)… so Itachi made a mental note to thank the man the next time they meet.

He turned the doorknob slowly and thought up a silent prayer as he entered the house, the familiar scent and atmosphere hitting him just as he stepped in. The lights were turned off, he noticed when he could perceive nothing but darkness with his blurred vision. Perhaps Sakura hadn't returned home?

Itachi stiffened when he heard a small movement at the direction of the sofa. It was a slight shifting of weight… maybe someone getting up from a lying position? The Uchiha squinted his eyes a little and caught the sight of a dull pink shade in the living room. He raised an eyebrow.

"Sakura-san?" He walked to the direction of the sofa, taking careful strides and making sure he was in no danger of toppling anything over.

The Uchiha's eyes widened a fraction when he heard a small sniffle and a dull-sounding chuckle as someone stood up to guide him to the couch. "I'm sorry, Itachi-san," Sakura's broken voice said as she grasped his hand and led him to sit down. "I was a little preoccupied with some thoughts, so I realized late that you needed--"

"Is there something wrong?"

Sakura's red rimmed eyes continued to spill with silent tears. She bit her lip when she saw Itachi's normally indifferent face etched with a hint of confusion and concern. Her hold on his hand tightened and it was only then that she had started sobbing loudly enough for the stoic man to hear. It was pointless to lie now. She might as well tell him what was bothering her.

"I--" The kunoichi said in between sobs. "I-- I lost a child on my table."

Itachi let her cry and knelt down with her when her wobbly knees had finally given in. He could only watch as the pink blur in front of him shook erratically, the sound of Sakura's weeping causing a stir of emotions to bubble up inside him... Distress. Concern… Grief. Itachi mentally berated himself for not doing anything while she just knelt there, wiping at her tears and apologizing profusely for letting him see herself like that.

He moved to put his hand on her head, pink hair soft against his skin, and listened quietly as her sobs died down at his touch.

"It will be alright."

….

**Author-person:** GAH. Finally finished! -slumps on desk-

I can only imagine what it must feel like to lose someone you've been trying so hard to save. I suppose that it must cause doctors and other medical personnel to feel dejected and confused and guilty for not being able to help someone who's been fighting for his/her life. My aunt who's a nurse would often make long-distance phone calls to my mother for some advice when a patient she's gotten close to suddenly passes away.

I am dedicating this to my departed father who is going to have his fifth death anniversary sometime soon. He was someone I barely understood, really… he wasn't the ideal dad, but I know he was a great one nonetheless. I am only sorry that I can't submit this on the day itself because I will probably be visiting his grave and doing university stuff as well.

I'd appreciate the comments/ reviews! Thank you so much for reading!


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